Urban and Community Forestry Program
Urban forests are the trees in the cities and neighborhoods where we live. The urban forest includes trees along streets, in parks and natural areas, and in your own
backyard. Urban forests provide many important environmental, social, and economic benefits and services too.
Urban forestry is the care and management of these trees in cities. Many cities have an urban forestry or other tree care program that manages trees along city streets and in parks.
In 2021, the ODF Urban and Community Forestry Program celebrated 30 years of service. The program has assisted communities with developing, improving, and expanding their urban forestry programs.
Contact the program to learn how your city can become more involved in urban & community forestry activities.
Latest news
Gov. Kotek proclaims April 2024 as Oregon Arbor Month
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has proclaimed April 2024 to be Oregon Arbor Month throughout the state.
Arbor Month is a traditional time for communities to celebrate trees and their vital role in making our communities healthier and more livable. Arbor Month is an outgrowth of Arbor Day, which began in Nebraska in 1872 as a tree-planting campaign. The day dedicated to trees and tree planting soon spread nationwide, and expanded in many states to a week-long celebration.
In Oregon, with more and more tree-related activities happening around the state, it was decided a few years ago to expand the event to encompass the whole month of April. This has made it easier for communities east of the Cascades to participate in tree plantings after the ground has thawed and danger of hard freezes has passed.
Read the full proclamation.
Upcoming grant opportunities
The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) Program has several upcoming grant opportunities. The UCF Program received Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) grant funding to support urban and community forestry efforts throughout Oregon. Read through their
awarded grant proposal and frequently asked questions (FAQ) to learn about this upcoming funding opportunity. The UCF Program is also collaborating with the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) on the Community Green Infrastructure Grant, established through
House Bill 3409. To learn more about the Community Green Infrastructure Grant, read through DLCD's
frequently asked questions document. The UCF Program will continue to provide updates on upcoming IRA grant and Community Green Infrastructure Grant opportunities.
Wilsonville and two Portland residents receive Oregon's top urban forestry honors
The non-profit organization Oregon Community Trees (OCT) is honoring Portland residents Ryan Gilpin and Bruce Nelson and the City of Wilsonville for their work on behalf of urban trees. Gilpin and Nelson are receiving awards for their individual contributions to urban forestry, and Wilsonville is getting the award in the Organizations category.
Oregon Community Trees (OCT) is the board that advises ODF on urban forestry. Every year OCT recognizes individuals and organizations that are doing outstanding work to help our urban forests," said OCT President Tyler Roth. “This year's recipients' are especially deserving for the depth and breadth of their commitment to educating people about urban trees and promoting policies and actions to keep those trees healthy and well cared for." Read more about their awards.
Emerald ash borer
Emerald ash borer arrival in Oregon will bring changes to northwest streams and urban forests.
Read more about the emerald ash borer's arrival and the state's response.
Oregon Urban & Community Forestry Conference 2023
On June 1, 2023, the conference was held in Portland.
View the videos from the conference.
The newsletter of the Oregon Department of Forestry, Urban and Community Forestry Program.
The Tree City USA program is a national program that provides the framework for community forestry management for cities and towns across America.
Communities achieve Tree City USA status by meeting four core standards of sound urban forestry management:
- Maintaining a tree board or department
- Having a community tree ordinance
- Spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry
- Celebrating Arbor Day
Participating communities have demonstrated a commitment to caring for and managing their public trees. In Oregon, nearly 70 communities participate in the Tree City USA program.
If your community is interested in becoming a Tree City USA, please contact an Urban and Community Assistance Forester,
view the storymap about celebrating Oregon's Tree City USA communities, or visit the Arbor Day Foundation
website.
Tree Campus USA
The Arbor Day Foundation also recognizes college and university campuses committed to their green space through the Tree Campus USA program. Tree Campus USA schools:
- Effectively manage their campus trees
- Develop a connection with their community beyond campus borders to foster healthy, urban forests
- Strive to engage their student population with campus and community forestry efforts
Learn more about becoming a Tree Campus USA from the Arbor Day Foundation.
Tree City USA communities
April was proclaimed as Oregon Arbor Month for the first time in 2021. To mark the occasion, the Oregon Department of Forestry asked the state's 69 Tree City USA communities to send us a photo capturing the city's Tree City USA spirit. These same cities were asked the question, "What does earning Tree City USA recognition mean to your city?" With this information, we created what we believe is an inspiring and engaging story, combining images, text, and an interactive Oregon map. The storymap made its debut April 15 in the middle of Arbor Month.
View the storymap about celebrating Oregon's Tree City USA communities.
Between 2019 and 2023, three dozen Oregon communities have planted a total of 54 Hiroshima peace trees. These are saplings grown from the seeds of trees that survived the atom bombing of Hiroshima in August 1945 and sent by volunteers with Green Legacy Hiroshima to cities around the world as ambassadors of peace. The plantings were a combined effort by the Oregon Department of Forestry and the non-profit organizations Oregon Community Trees and the Medford-based One Sunny Day Initiatives. Oregon is believed to have the highest density of Hiroshima peace trees outside of Japan.
View the storymap about the Hiroshima peace tree plantings and where each one is planted in Oregon.
View survivor trees in Hiroshima visiting by a group representing Oregon's recipient communities in November 2023.
Resources
A list of public places around Oregon where a variety of trees are grown for study and display. Please note the below lists capture most of the arboretums in Oregon.
Our hearts are heavy from thinking of those who lost loved ones, homes, and dreams in the recent fires across the state. We know that, for many of you, your city's trees may be the last thing on your mind right now. Yet trees embody hope. Whether or not your town was devastated by fire or smoke, view a list of community forestry and wildfire-related resources that may be useful in the future, if not now.
The theme of this year's conference was “Water Wise Community Forests: Strategies for our Future” the presentations focus on drought, tree selection, adaptability, soil moisture, storm preparedness, ice storm lessons, tree survival in green infrastructure, and using Tree Plotter Inventory to plan for climate fluctuations.
View the Oregon Urban and Community Forestry 2021 Virtual Conference videos.
TreesAreGood.org provides the public with educational information about the benefits of trees and how to properly care for trees in the urban environment.
Website
An assortment of publications on tree and urban forestry related topics. Scroll down to “Publications about Forest Benefits & Health."
Website
Designed to help guide city managers, policymakers and advocates in building effective urban forest programs, this website contains the latest research and best practices for implementing urban forestry projects in your community. A joint project of the US FS, American Forests and the National Association of Regional Councils.
Website
Appreciating city trees
In Oregon, we set aside the month of April to honor trees. Click here for information about Oregon Arbor Month or contact your local Urban and Community Assistance Forester. In addition, click here to discover 14 pandemic-safe ways to celebrate Oregon Arbor month.
Arbor Day is America's national tree holiday. It's a day other states set aside to plant ceremonial trees, educate children about the importance of trees and honor the important role trees play in our daily lives. National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April, but Oregon observes tree related activates all month to fit best tree planting times statewide.
For more information on Arbor Day or to plan a celebration, visit the Arbor Day Foundation.
A Tree Board, sometimes called “Tree Advisory Committee” or “Tree Commission,” is a group of citizen volunteers charged by ordinance with developing, guiding, or administering a community tree management program. A Tree Board advises and assists city professionals by:
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Raising public awareness and public education about the value of trees
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Serving as a technical advisor on tree related issue
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Helping work on city tree care codes or a management plan
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Advocating for trees
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Promote Heritage Tree programs
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Organizing tree planning projects and Arbor Day ceremonies
Cities with Tree City USA status already have a Tree Board of some sort.
If your city is not already a Tree City USA, consider starting a Tree Board in your town by contacting your mayor or city manager. Also consider attending "Tree Board University," a free, online series of courses to help you learn more about serving in a citizen advisory role in your city.
Late spring in Oregon with its long hours of daylight and warmer weather is a great time of the year to share your love of trees with your community. Although the people who care for urban trees are busy watering, pruning, and performing other day-to-day maintenance tasks, with trees leafed out and some still in flower, the weeks before summer are great times of the year even during our pandemic to celebrate and educate others about the many benefits trees provide.
Adding a few fun education and outreach activities into your summer work plan helps raise awareness of trees and your program at a time when a lot of residents have more time on their hands because of COVID-19. You can reach an even larger audience by joining forces with other programs and non-profits in your area.
Here are some good examples that residents of your community can engage in from home or alone at a safe physical distance from others:
Tree tours – Self-guided or online
- Solicit suggestions from community members to locate favorite trees in your town, then:
- Create an online tour to showcase trees by taking photos and posting descriptions.
- Create and print a brochure with a map for a self-guided city tree tour. Partner with a food delivery service to include one with deliveries in neighborhoods near the tour route.
Tree stories
- Collect stories about historic or prominent community trees and partner with the local newspaper to publish a “tree of the month" article.
- Research the history of a prominent local tree and consider nominating them as a heritage tree for your city or even with the state-level Heritage Tree program.
Team up with your community's parks or recreation department
- Offer an online tree identification webinar.
- Host a Zoom meeting about tree art – discuss how people can go find twigs, leaves, and branches in their yards or nearby (without damaging trees) and create interesting collages or other artwork.
Partner with local or regional arborists
- Hold online workshops explaining tree care or maintenance, proper pruning or tree watering, etc.
- Hold a photo contest that highlights park trees in your community. The contest winner might receive a tree, planted on their behalf in their favorite park next spring. (Hint: Tree City USA Arbor Day grants can pay for trees planted for Arbor Day events.)
- Work with a local bookstore to hold a “poe-tree" contest; display selected poems in large type in the store window or in City Hall. (Hint: Haiku poems are short and easy to fit on a single sheet.)
This list may help stir up some ideas about how you can involve your community in the joy and benefits provided by trees, while raising the visibility of your city's urban forestry program and the importance of caring for the community forest.
Celebrate Oregon Arbor Month
Will your city be submitting a 2021 Tree City USA application?
Due to the pandemic, the Arbor Day Foundation has modified Standard 4 requirements of an Arbor Day proclamation and observance. Cities applying for Tree City USA status in 2021 are REQUIRED to proclaim Arbor Day, and ENCOURAGED (NOT required) to observe Arbor Day while safely socially distancing.
Learn more about the Tree City USA - The Arbor Day Foundation.